After Nightfall by A.J. Banner

I have seen A.J. Banner’s After Nightfall cover all over social media lately, and was pleasantly surprised when my NetGalley request was approved to read it in advance of publication.

After Nightfall is a story about Marissa, a speech pathologist, who falls in love with the father of one of her students, Nathan. One night, she and Nathan have a dinner party at Nathan’s house by the beach, set atop a tall cliff overlooking the water, to announce their engagement. They invite Nathan’s brother Keith and wife Hedra and Marissa’s long time friend (and Nathan’s new neighbor) Lauren and husband Jensen. The atmosphere is strained, especially since Marissa and Lauren have just recently rekindled their relationship after a falling out several years ago in college. The morning after the party Marissa goes for an early morning walk only to find Lauren’s lifeless body on the beach below the jagged cliff. Did she fall? Did she take her own life? Or was she pushed?

I’m going to be honest. The first half of this book I did not feel particularly connected to any of the characters and was having a hard time getting into the story line. But whatever was lacking in the first half was totally made up for in the second half. The second half of the book was extremely fast paced, and such a page turner. The ending was satisfying as well, which is the mark of any good thriller. Nobody likes to get to the end only to be disappointed with the outcome, but this ending was well thought out and suspenseful.

A.J. Banner wrote a fantastic thriller that will likely fly off the shelves once published. Would recommend to anybody looking for a very quick read.

-I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, A.J. Banner, and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

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Published by homesweethouser

About me? Who am I? I'm Ashley Houser, formerly Tocco (Toe-ko, not Taco). I live in Nashville, Tennessee and work as a pharmacy manager for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I married the love of my life in August 2017 and have been enjoying the ride ever since. But, let's get down to why I'm here. I'm a reader. I enjoy all things psychological, thriller, mystery, and everything in between. On occasion I find myself engrossed in a good dystopian novel as well. I started this blog as a place to share my thoughts on books I've ready in the mystery/thriller genre. And while that's still the case, it has now evolved to "all the books." Mystery, thriller, science fiction, southern fiction, young adult, you name it.
There is a little something for everybody. I hope this is a place where people feel inspired to pick up a book and jump into their next literary adventure. Happy reading!
-- XOXO Home Sweet Houser --
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